


two plus two

by forestjoshua



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Lesbian Mai (Avatar), Lesbian Toph Beifong, Lesbian Ty Lee (Avatar), M/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forestjoshua/pseuds/forestjoshua
Summary: Ty Lee, having a huge crush on her friend Mai, asks Sokka to be her fake-date for a double date with Mai and Mai's boyfriend Zuko. The night turns out to be full of plot twists.
Relationships: Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 551





	two plus two

”Hi, Sokka. Can I sit here?”

The muffled question Sokka hears over the music he’s listening suddenly snaps him out of his reverie. Confused, he plucks one of his knock-off airpods out of his ear and lifts his head to look at the owner of the voice, who apparently knows him by name.

“Ty Lee?” Sokka says, recognizing the girl as the dance major who’s friends with his good friend and ex, Suki. “Um,” Sokka continues, hastily shoving his journal into his back while looking around. He’s supposed to meet up with Katara and Aang, but they’re nowhere around – probably because Sokka is early, for once. He had intended to brainstorm on some assignments but instead, he’d found himself doodling.

“Sure,” he caves in, looking into Ty Lee’s huge, kind eyes. He doesn’t really know her, but has a positive impression of her. If she’s looking for some company, why not sit with her with for a few minutes.

Ty Lee smiles at him. Sokka likes her fluffy pink sweater, she looks really cute in it. The long sleeves go past her fingers, but he can see her nails are painted cheerful yellow as she grabs the chair in front of her and pulls it out to take a seat. She hasn’t bought anything for herself to drink or eat. “Are you free this Friday night?” she asks bluntly, tugging a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Uh,” Sokka says. The question comes out of the blue for him, leaving him stammering. ”I have plans, sorry,” he admits to Ty Lee sheepishly and he’s not lying: he had agreed to go to the movies with Toph. There was a new horror flick Toph intended to check out and it was Sokka’s turn to take one for the team.

Although not exactly Sokka’s type, Ty Lee is still a sweet girl and Sokka likes her – she’s cheerful, laughs at Sokka’s jokes and thinks he’s handsome. Sokka feels bad for having to turn her down and immediately starts to think about making it up to her.

“Aw, really?” Ty Lee groans, leaning back. A genuine look of disappointment crosses her face, mixed with something that could be annoyance, or desperation. She gnaws on her lip, looking up at the ceiling, hands hanging by her sides.

“I’m sorry,” Sokka says, “I’m really am. I’ll take you out another time, okay?” Sokka suggests. He could have a fun night with Ty Lee. He’s already leafing through his mental calendar for a free spot to hang out with her.

“No, it has to be this Friday,” Ty Lee mumbles, more to herself. Her expression is clouded.

Frowning, Sokka asks quietly, “Hey, is everything alright?”

Ty Lee sits up straight, her eyes flicking from the half-finished frappe on the table, to Sokka’s fingers drumming the table, to the bi pride flag pop socket attached to Sokka’s phone. She sighs, “I can’t get anyone to go out with me.”

Sokka has to raise his brows at that. To Sokka, Ty Lee has always seemed very popular. Sokka knows at least seven people with a major crush on her. It wasn’t a rare sight to see her at a party cozying up with some hot guy. Which – _you go girl._ “Ah, now that can’t be true!” Sokka says.

“No, you don’t get it,” Ty Lee says, “It has to be someone _nice._ Someone, who doesn’t have any ulterior motives and who’s willing to go on a double date, just this one time.”

Sokka frowns. “I would be game-“ he starts, but Ty Lee interrupts him, groaning and burying her face into her arms.

“I’m a gay disaster,” she mumbles.

At least that’s what Sokka hears. He isn’t sure – maybe his ears are playing tricks on him. He’s always gotten the impression that Ty Lee was straight.

“Ty Lee?” Sokka asks gently. He pokes her arm. Her sweater is really soft. “Are you in there? Do you want to talk?”

“I panicked,” Ty Lee whimpers. She looks at Sokka through her bangs.

“Panicked?” Sokka repeats, expecting an elaboration.

Ty Lee nods, placing her chin on her arm before continuing, “My best friend, Mai, told me she’s going out with her boyfriend this Friday. I’d been looking forward to spending time with her, so I asked her if I could come along. And then she reminded me it was supposed to be a date so I panicked and told her that I also had a date for Friday, and we could go on a double date.”

Sokka thinks he’s catching on. “I see,” he says, gears turning in his head.

“I think,” Ty Lee mumbles, slumping further into the chair. She glances around for witnesses before continuing, with a miserable tone, “Okay here it goes.” She lowers her voice to whisper and Sokka has to lean closer. He realizes that he still has one of his airpods in, blasting pop punk and he hastily removes it. “I think I’ve loved Mai for _years_ but now she’s dating her childhood friend and I miss her… Of course, she can do what she wants but I can’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. I just want to be with her.”

“Hey,” Sokka interrupts, placing his hand on Ty Lee’s arm. “It’s okay. It’s okay to want to spend time with her. Especially when, you know. And thank you for trusting me, Ty Lee.”

Ty Lee smiles. It’s an uncharacteristically gloomy smile for her, the corners of her mouth barely moving. “Thanks, Sokka,” she says sheepishly, “Suki was totally right about you. She was the one told me to ask you, when I opened up to her about finding a suitable date – well, fake-date. Suki’s the only one who knows about my feelings for Mai. Besides you.” Under her breath, she adds, “I can’t believe I told you.”

“Yeah. Suki’s the best,” Sokka says. Sokka feels warm, knowing that Suki has a high opinion on him, considering what an ass Sokka had been when they’d first met.

“Yeah,” Ty Lee agrees, “Maybe I could come out to Mai?” she starts to quietly ponder out loud to herself, “Then she’d at least know I like girls. She’ll accept me, I know she will. I think I’m ready to come out to people. I’d ask Suki, but I know she has plans on Friday. Azula would come. She’s Mai’s boyfriend’s sister. Would that be too weird?” she asks Sokka, wrinkling her nose.

“Listen, Ty Lee,” Sokka says. His mind is made up.

“Yes?”

“I’ll do it.”

“Really?” Ty Lee’s eyes light up. Then, her face falls. “Wait – you said you had plans? I don’t want you to cancel because of me.” She looks down, fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater. “I’ll find another way.”

“No,” Sokka assures, reaching out to squeeze Ty Lee’s arm once. Toph would get it. Sokka’s helping a sapphic girl in need. As the self-proclaimed biggest lesbian in town, Toph would _totally_ get it. Solidarity, and all that. Besides, it was payback time. Toph had recently canceled way too many plans on Sokka. “It’s not a big deal. I want to help you.” He then spots Katara and Aang standing outside. Aang’s shoulders are hunched and he’s trying to get Sokka’s attention, jerking his head towards Katara, who has her hands planted to her hips so Sokka knows she’s pissed off about something. He shouldn’t keep her waiting, then.

Sokka stands up. Ty Lee blinks at her, confused. “Ask Suki for my number,” he tells her and Ty Lee nods.

“Bye Sokka! Thank you so much, I owe you one!” she calls out as Sokka skips out.

“Anytime,” Sokka replies.

Friday comes sooner than Sokka can process what’s happening. He doesn’t get particularly dolled up for the date. All he does is make sure there are no stains on his clothes, throws on his favorite jacket and checks that his hair doesn’t look atrocious. He’s a bit nervous, which surprises him. He supposes he’s actually nervous for Ty Lee. Nervous if they can pull this off. Sokka has never had to pretend that he likes someone. He has always just liked people, easily. He guesses he can draw from experience, but he does have a track record of making a fool of himself in front of people he really likes.

Should he make a fool of himself on purpose?

He decides against it. He’ll come up with another plan.

Ty Lee is waiting in front of her house. She’s wearing the pink strawberry dress Sokka’s seen around on TikTok and holding a matching strawberry-shaped purse. Her face lights up with a smile as Sokka pulls up. Her hair is down for once, falling to her shoulders in soft curls. Sokka reaches across the front seat and pops the car door open for her.

“Hey! You look gorgeous,” Sokka tells her. It’s half trying to act like he’s actually trying to charm Ty Lee, half the absolute truth – Ty Lee does look radiant and Mai would be so lucky to have her.

“Thanks!” Ty Lee chirps, checking herself out from the rearview mirror. “Right back at you.” She gives Sokka a playful wink.

_She’s_ good _at this,_ Sokka thinks.

“So. What’s the plan for the evening?” Sokka asks, backing away from the driveway.

“Oh. Right. Zuko wants to go see a play,” Ty Lee says, gently dabbing more lip-gloss onto her bottom lip. “Something about dragons and love. It didn’t really catch it.”

“Zuko- Zuko wants us to what? Who’s Zuko?”

“Mai’s boyfriend. Keep up,” Ty Lee says, “And _yes._ That’s what Mai said, at least.”

“Okay. Theater it is.” Sokka can appreciate fine arts. He hasn’t seen a play since high school, so it’s about time. He’ll definitely take it over Toph’s horror movie. Besides, he’s excited to try something more distinguished. His first date with Suki had been to the gym. Not that it had been a bad date. In fact, it had been great, although Sokka had skinned his knee falling off the treadmill while trying to check Suki out.

“So… What’s Zuko like?” Sokka asks. Then, he winces. Maybe Ty Lee doesn’t want to talk about the boy who’s dating the girl she’s in love with. “Sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“No, it’s okay,” Ty Lee interrupts, “I like Zuko. I’ve known him longer than Mai, actually. His sister, Azula, is one of my best friends. We were neighbors growing up. I was never that close with him, but I feel for him. He and Azula had a rough childhood. I won’t go into details since it’s not my place to talk about it, but it was really bad. He started seeing Mai a year ago. They’ve known each other longer, though. At first, they were on-off, but lately they’ve spent more time together.” Ty Lee sighs deeply. “I wish it was someone other than Zuko. I can’t _not_ like him. Although, he’s hard to befriend. Just a heads up. He’s all prickly from the outside, but I know for a fact he’s kind and sweet and sensitive. He was more like that as a child, but it’s still there. I mean – he wants to go see a romantic play.” Ty Lee looks down and finishes quietly, “He’s kind of perfect for Mai.”

Sokka wishes he had something to say. That he could comfort and reassure Ty Lee somehow, but nothing comes to his mind.

_Aang would know what to say,_ Sokka thinks.

So, they fall into silence.

As they’re getting closer to the destination, something else comes to Sokka’s mind. “Ty Lee,” Sokka begins hesitantly, fingers tapping the steering wheel. “One more thing I need to ask.”

“Sure,” says Ty Lee, turning to look at Sokka.

“How should I act around you? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable and since this not an _actual_ date between us, I can’t pull my usual moves. But we also have to sell this – um, _us –_ somehow.”

“Oh. Right. I guess it’s fine if we hold hands. You can put your arm around me. That stuff.”

“That stuff,” Sokka repeats.

“Yeah,” Ty Lee says. It looks like she wants to continue with something else, but Sokka doesn’t pry. He keeps throwing glances at her, making sure she’s alright.

When they finally stop, Ty Lee turns to Sokka and says, sincerely, “I want you to know that I’m really thankful you’re doing this.” She grabs Sokka’s fingers and squeezes them.

Sokka smiles at her. “And you _can_ do this. Now let’s go charm Mai.”

Ty Lee smiles back at Sokka. She looks actually excited.

They find Mai in the lobby, Ty Lee pointing her out for Sokka. She’s standing alone, arms crossed across her chest, shoulders a little hunched. She perks up in recognition as enthusiastic Ty Lee drags Sokka over. Mai is dressed in all black as a contrast to Ty Lee’s dreamy pink dress. She spares her friend a smile, dark eyes that peek from underneath neat bangs softening. Sokka almost feels butterflies in stomach on behalf of Ty Lee.

“This is Sokka,” Ty Lee tells Mai.

“Hi,” Mai says, eyes turning sharp, analytical as she takes Sokka in. She appears to approve of him, for now, and turns back to Ty Lee. “I have to go to the bathroom.” She hands Ty Lee her purse. “Watch this for me?”

Ty Lee clutches the purse to her chest. “I will guard it with my life,” she swears dramatically. Mai spares her another tiny smile and leaves.

“Wow. She’s…” Sokka doesn’t get to figure out the rest of his sentence before Ty Lee squeals.

“I know! She…” Her face is pink. _This girl is so gone,_ Sokka thinks, shaking his head fondly at Ty Lee, whose smile keeps widening. Then, her eyes sharpen, as if she recognizes someone.

“Hi, Ty Lee,” another voice cuts in, “Where’s Mai?”

Sokka turns slowly around and takes a look at the guy.

_This must be Zuko,_ he thinks and if that’s the case – _well done,_ Mai. If Mai decides to leave him to be with Ty Lee at the end of the night, Sokka will gladly volunteer to eat Mai’s leftovers. Which is- weird metaphor, but Sokka tries not to think about it too hard. Instead, he focuses on how soft _Zuko_ ’s hair looks, half of it pulled up into a topknot while the rest falls free, brushing against his pale neck, the tips touching his shoulders. He has striking golden eyes and a large burn scar on his face and he looks nervous and ready kick someone’s ass at the same time.

_Why?_ Sokka wonders.

“Hi Zuko!” Ty Lee says. There’s not an ounce resentment in her voice, which just tells Sokka how wonderful person Ty Lee is. Sokka thinks that if he was in Ty Lee’s shoes, his words would probably be dipped in bitterness. He had been jealous mess when Yue had been seeing Hahn, after all, but he had also been a good deal younger, then. “Mai went to the bathroom. She should be back in a minute.”

Or sooner, since Mai’s voice comes, ”Can we go in already?” as she appears behind Ty Lee. She leans forward and twists her arm around Ty Lee to snatch her purse back and Sokka can see Ty Lee’s breath hitch when Mai’s arm brushes against hers.

Zuko shifts his weight from foot to foot. “About that,” he mumbles, clearing his throat.

“What is it?” Mai asks sharply. “Why are you acting so weird?”

The tension in the air feels like crackling lightning. In other words, the vibes are definitely not good. Sokka glances at Ty Lee, who meets his eyes. She shrugs.

“I’m not acting weird,” Zuko hisses.

“You kind of are,” Mai states, “What’s the problem now?”

“They’re out of tickets.”

“What?” Mai says,

“What?” Ty Lee echoes.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mai groans.

“Well- How was I supposed to know there would be some big group coming the see the play just this evening and they’d take up two thirds of the seats,” Zuko complains and Sokka feels for him. There’s no possible way he could’ve known.

“You didn’t think to book the tickets beforehand?” Mai asks.

“I’ve never had to,” Zuko defends himself.

“Seriously?” Mai says, “Well, next time, _do make sure.”_

“I _will,”_ Zuko seethes, crossing his arms.

“Okay, let’s calm down for a second,” Sokka interrupts Mai and Zuko before they tear each other’s hair out.

Ty Lee reaches out to grab Sokka’s wrist. Mai’s eyes shoot daggers at Sokka and Zuko has an outraged expression on his face.

“Calm?” Mai splutters.

“He just means- Let’s take a breather, okay?” Ty Lee saves Sokka, “We can’t stand here yelling, the play is about to start, and they’ll kick us out.”

“It doesn’t matter, we’re not going to see the play, anyway, thanks to-“

“Mai!” Ty Lee cuts in.

Sokka can’t believe he’s watching this couple he doesn’t even know fight in front of him. It’s brings him back to the time Toph broke up with her last girlfriend while Sokka sat on the couch eating Cheetos. He should’ve brought snacks this time, too. Like popcorn. He’s been craving popcorn. Which-

Sokka has a plan.

“It’s not that late yet,” he says, “We could go to the movies instead. There’s a cinema down the street. I’m sure there’s something we can check out.”

_Not_ that horror movie Toph was so eager to experience. Sokka has been tormented enough with gore and monsters and jump scares. Toph couldn’t even _see_ the jump scares. Sokka had a theory that she just enjoyed listening to people (and Sokka) shriek in the theater.

“Fine by me,” Mai says and shrugs, “I didn’t want to see the stupid play, anyway.”

Sokka, Ty Lee and Mai find themselves standing side by side in front of the movie posters, waiting for Zuko, who’s gone to check which movies they’re showing this evening. Ty Lee and Mai are whispering to each other as Sokka checks out the posters, trying to find something interesting.

“Well?” Mai asks as Zuko skulks back over. ”Were they also sold out?”

Zuko glares at Mai. “Either this,” he says, ignoring Mai’s jab and points at a poster of a romantic comedy, which, first of all, looks way too _straight_ and stars a white male Hollywood actor with way too many sexual harassment accusations under his belt and as his love interest, a white actress, who’s at least twenty years younger than him.

Ty Lee makes a face at the poster.

“Or?” Sokka sighs.

Zuko points at the poster of Toph’s horror movie. “This.”

“I think we’ve made our choice here,” Mai says.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” Sokka pleads Zuko.

“Check for yourself,” says Zuko, but Sokka tosses his hands up in surrender.

“I’ve actually been wanting to see that one,” Mai says, glancing at the horror poster. It’s gory, which, to Sokka, tells nothing good about the movie.

“Okay for me,” says Ty Lee.

“Let’s just get the tickets,” Zuko sighs and what can Sokka say? He swallows and follows the others. He makes sure to treat himself with some extra popcorn.

When they get back, settling outside the doors to wait for them to be let in, Mai and Zuko appear to have somewhat found peace with each other. The walk to the cinema had been painfully awkward, even for Sokka. Mai had stuck tightly to Ty Lee’s side, throwing angry glances at Zuko from time to time while Ty Lee tried to distract her. Sokka had walked with Zuko, quickly finding out that the description Ty Lee has given of him in the car was accurate and he wasn’t the most talkative guy. The circumstances may also have contributed to that – anyway, after a couple of failed joke attempts Sokka had merely given up, letting Zuko sulk next to him in peace.

Although, one joke had almost made Zuko smile. _Almost._

Sokka revels in the fact.

Mai and Zuko do look cute together, albeit a little stiff and unnatural. Mai has at least allowed Zuko to wrap his arm around her waist and she leans her head on his shoulder as they wait. Watching them, Sokka feels bad for Ty Lee, who’s distracting herself with her phone, though she keeps looking longingly at Mai.

“They should be letting us in any minute,” Sokka says to Ty Lee just to make some conversation, craning his neck to see if an employee is coming.

“Well well well,” he hears a familiar voice cackle behind him.

That can’t be-

“Toph?” Sokka says, turning around.

“Hello, Snoozles,” Toph says, “What’s this? You abandon me just to parade your girlfriend around right in front of me?”

“No. Ugh, Toph, Ty Lee isn’t my _girlfriend,”_ Sokka complains, attracting Mai and Zuko’s attention.

“Still,” Toph says, clicking her tongue. “Hello, Ty Lee. I’m Toph,” she says into Ty Lee’s general direction.

“Uh. Hi?” Ty Lee sees, waving his hand awkwardly although it’s clear that Toph is blind, she even has her cane in the crook of her elbow. Ty Lee notices it, too, and drops her hand, flushing.

“You decided to come alone?” Sokka asks Toph.

“Nope,” Toph says, “I went for the next in the cycle,” she adds and sure, Aang suddenly materializes next to Toph,

“Sokka!” he exclaims, eyes full of delight, arms full of popcorn. He hands one of the buckets to Toph, so he can bump fists with Sokka.

“Hey, man,” Sokka says. He spots Zuko looking at them from his peripheral vision. “I’m sorry you have to be the victim.”

“I’m terrified,” Aang says cheerfully, flashing his signature slanted smile.

“I’m Ty Lee,” Ty Lee says to Aang.

“Oh, right. Hi, I’m Aang. You’re Sokka’s date?”

“Yeah,” Ty Lee says.

“Nice dress,” Aang comments.

“Thanks,” Ty Lee smiles.

“It’s the strawberry dress,” Aang whispers loudly to Toph. Toph grins.

Sokka notices Mai and Zuko staring at his friends with mild curiosity. Mai’s fingers rest lazily against Zuko’s elbow and she seems to be making her mind up about Aang. Which is fair, considering the huge tattoo of a blue arrow that shows underneath Aang’s buzzcut. Zuko’s eyes bounce from Aang, to Toph, to Sokka, like he’s doing some mental math.

“These are Mai and Zuko, Ty Lee’s friends,” Sokka says to Aang and Toph. “Mai, Zuko – Aang, Toph.”

“Hey,” says Toph.

“Nice to meet you,” says Aang politely, turning to Sokka to whine, “Sokka, now that you’re here after all, does that mean I can leave?” He gives Sokka his best puppy dog eyes.

Toph’s hand shoots up to grip Aang’s elbow tightly. “Do not even think about it, Twinkle Toes,” she hisses.

Someone snorts at that, trying to cover it up with a cough. Sokka realizes it’s Zuko. Blushing, Zuko pretends to look at the movie poster next to them. Sokka tries to hide his grin. _That was adorable,_ he thinks.

“Aw, Toph,” Aang complains.

“You already bought the tickets,” Sokka points out.

Aang looks at the two pieces of paper clutched in his hand. “That’s true,” he says miserably.

When they’re finally let in, Toph and Aang stick to their group, following Sokka, who’s grabbed Ty Lee’s hand now that he actually has to sell that they’re on a date.

“Where are we going to sit?” Aang asks.

“Somewhere we can get the best view,” Toph quips. Sokka shoves her playfully, making her complain, “Stop abusing the blind, Sokka!” She whacks Sokka with her cane.

“Toph, that’s not what the cane is for,” Sokka whimpers.

“What do you mean? What _is_ it for, then?” Toph asks innocently.

“Nevermind,” Sokka mumbles, following Mai and Zuko into the back row.

“Switch places with me, quick!” Ty Lee whispers, shoving Sokka behind her so that she ends up next to Mai. Sokka sits down between Ty Lee and Aang, fully accepting that his friends have hijacked the date. He feels sorry for Mai and Zuko. If anyone else joins the group during the night, Sokka is going to have to formally apologize to them.

The lights go out and Sokka prepares for his two hours of torment. At least he has Aang for support, who’s already leaning towards Sokka during the trailers, ready to clutch his arm.

Well, maybe it’s more like Sokka being _Aang’s_ support.

The movie is just as bad as Sokka had expected. During the first ten minutes, Aang has already squeezed his arm full of bruises. Toph seems excited. Ty Lee winces at every jump scare, but she’s grabbing Mai instead of Sokka, so at least Sokka’s right arm is saved from abuse.

In the middle of the film, during a rare calm moment, Sokka looks around. Toph is still having the time of her life, her feet propped up against the seat in front of her. Aang looks close to a nervous breakdown, covering his face with one of his hands while the other still holds onto Sokka. Katara is probably going to have to lecture Toph once again for showing scary things to Aang.

Ty Lee is curled up in her seat, surprisingly unaffected by the movie, yet she’s leaning into Mai, pressing her cheek against her shoulder. Mai follows the movie with mild interest, unflinching, and Zuko is staring at the screen warily, jaw and shoulders tense, leaning forward like he’s ready to bolt any second.

“Toph, I’m opting out as your movie buddy,” Aang whimpers as they witness someone getting decapitated with a burning chainsaw. The only one in their friend group who enjoys horror as much as Toph is Suki. Katara is mostly annoyed, because most horror movies Toph liked ‘didn’t provide any interesting narratives and groundbreaking themes.’ Sokka just hates the jump scares and how illogical the movies often are and Aang, well, hates everything about them.

“There, there,” Toph says, patting Aang’s arm, “Now shut up, I can’t hear what’s going on.”

Aang is still shaky as they drag him out once the movie has ended with a massacre and screams. In the end, jump scares aside, the movie had been quite intriguing for Sokka. Toph had declared it a future classic and she was hoping they’d make a version with audio description.

“What did you think?” Sokka asks Ty Lee, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, but Ty Lee’s attention is elsewhere. She’s looking at Mai and Zuko, who are standing near the doors. Mai is rubbing Zuko’s arms, talking to him, but they’re too away for Sokka to hear anything.

“Huh? It was okay,” Ty Lee says, watching as Zuko shoves Mai’s hands away and stalks past her, making his way to the bathroom.

Ty Lee sweeps in to talk to Mai, who appears to be worried, throwing glances at towards the men’s bathroom.

“Sokka?” Aang asks, tugging Sokka’s sleeve.

“Yes?”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he says.

“Then go?” Toph comments, “You’re not a kid you don’t need his permission.”

“But,” Aang whispers, “I can’t get that scene out of my head where one of the monsters was in the bathroom stall…”

“I’ll come with you,” Sokka sighs, patting Aang’s shoulder comfortingly.

When they walk in, they find Zuko standing in front of the sinks, splashing his face with water. He starts as Aang pushes the door open and his hands grip the edge of the sink, hard, knuckles turning bone white.

“Sorry,” Aang says, slipping past Zuko, disappearing into one of the stalls.

Sokka doesn’t need to go, so he stands next to Zuko and checks his phone for new messages. There aren’t any, so he shoves it back into his pocket.

“Some movie,” Sokka says to Zuko, trying to make conversation.

“Yeah,” Zuko whispers, staring down into the sink. Sokka thinks he has a nice profile, just an observation.

“The monsters weren’t even the scary part,” Sokka continues, “Like – the main character dude’s dad was such an abusive jerk… Can’t believe people like him actually exist in real life. He was just so… cruel, to his own kids.”

“Hmm,” Zuko says, breathing harshly.

Sokka looks at him. His eyes are squeezed shut and his hands shake. A bead of sweat or water runs down his temple. “Dude, are you okay?” Sokka asks softly, “Zuko?”

“Yeah,” Zuko says sharply, opening his eyes. He stares angrily at his own reflection.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” Sokka has to ask again, taking a hesitant step towards Zuko. Same the moment, Aang comes out of the stall, walking over to wash his hands. He eyes Zuko with large, confused eyes. “Want me to get Mai?” Sokka asks.

“No,” Zuko hisses, “No,” he repeats, gentler. He tries to smile at Sokka but fails miserably. He looks more like he’s having a mild seizure. Now, Sokka wants to see his _real_ smile. “I’m fine. I’m good.”

“If you say so,” Sokka mutters, not buying it at all. “Come on. Let’s get back out there, then.” He pats Zuko between his shoulder blades but stops when he feels Zuko tense underneath his palm.

When they get back, they see Toph has joined Ty Lee and Mai.

“And they say girls always go to the bathroom together,” Mai comments dryly as they make their way back to the girls.

“Ah, well, Twinkle Toes needed some emotional support after the movie and we found Zuko on our way,” Sokka replies to her.

“Hey!” Aang protests, “Only Toph can call me Twinkle Toes!”

Zuko glances at Sokka. His eyes convey a message, _Twinkle Toes? What the fuck?_ Sokka shrugs and winks at him. To his delight, Zuko blushes, turning his head shyly.

“What are you up to?” Sokka says, turning his attention to the girls. Ty Lee and Mai are flanking Toph, who has her phone out.

“We’re helping Toph write a Letterboxd review,” Ty Lee says.

“Remember to mention the cinematography,” Mai says.

“Girl, I didn’t _see_ the cinematography,” says Toph.

“Yes, but it was good,” Mai insists.

Toph brings the phone closer to her face and says, “And Mai says the cinematography was good. We’ll have to take her word for it since I can’t see for shit.”

Ty Lee giggles into her sleeve as Toph plays the sentence back to check speech-to-text had gotten it correctly.

“Snoozles?” Toph calls out.

Sighing, Sokka replies, “Yes, Melon Lord?”

Sokka sees Mai mouth, _What the Hell?_ to Ty Lee.

“Can you come over tomorrow? I want to give Tinder another try. I think it’s time to put this meat back on the market.”

“Ew,” Aang says quietly.

“Do I have to?” Sokka groans.

“Yes? Because you ditched me today, for this babe,” Toph says, pointing at Ty Lee, who turns as pink as her sweater.

“Not fair! I’m here! I even saw the movie!” Sokka whines, “Could Aang do it?”

“Aang is the worst wingman. You know that yourself. He’s all ‘Give everyone a chance!’”

“Hey, I’m right here!” Aang says.

“Suki?” Sokka suggests.

“She’s still out of town. Sokka, there’s a lot wrong with you but your taste in women is not one of those things,” Toph says.

“Gee. Thanks, I guess?”

“Yeah. So, you’ll come?”

“Sure,” Sokka gives in.

“Excellent,” Toph smirks, “Aang, we should go.”

“Finally,” Aang sighs, “This place is starting to give me the heebie-jeebies. I’m so thankful I have Appa, I couldn’t be alone tonight,” he mumbles, as Toph grabs his arm, starting to drag him away.

“See you tomorrow, Snoozles!” she says to Sokka as they go past him. There’s a tone of threat to her voice. Sokka sighs in defeat.

“So,” he says, turning to look at his remaining company. Mai looks amused, staring at the retreating backs of Toph and Aang. Zuko looks like he’s trying to rearrange his thoughts and Ty Lee looks at her feet. “What’s next?”

“Yeah, Zuko?” Mai says, looking at her boyfriend, “What’s next?”

“Let’s go outside for starters,” Zuko says, sounding annoyed.

The sun has almost set, and the wind has picked up, making Sokka zip his jacket up and shove his hands into his pockets. Clouds are gathering and Sokka thinks it’s going to rain soon.

Mai shivers next to him, which doesn’t go unnoticed for Zuko.

“Are you cold?” Zuko asks her, “Do you need-”

“A jacket?” Mai says sharply, “Are you offering me a jacket? Even though you’re not wearing one?”

“Right,” Zuko mumbles, looking down, and Sokka feels little bad for the dude. Again.

“What are you going to try next? Light a fire?” Mai sighs.

_“Mai,”_ Ty Lee says quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Mai says, “Just… Zuko, let’s go over here for a moment.” She grands Zuko’s shoulders very gently, walking them away from Sokka and Ty Lee, out of earshot.

“Are they always like this?” Sokka asks Ty Lee, who starts to frown.

“No,” she says, “I mean… They don’t always see eye to eye, but that’s normal. Usually they just… They just _are._ You wouldn’t even notice they are a couple.”

“Huh,” Sokka mumbles, staring and Mai and Zuko.

“Mai said they were having troubles,” Ty Lee confesses.

“Did she?”

“Yes. A couple weeks ago. I totally forgot about since they seemed to be doing better right after she told me.” Ty Lee cranes her neck, looking worried, but Mai and Zuko seem to be talking calmly. “They’re a very private couple in general.”

_Which means they probably won’t appreciate us gaping at them,_ Sokka thinks, but still follows Ty Lee’s bad example and stares at the pair.

A couple of minutes later, Mai walks over, leaving Zuko standing alone.

“Um, why is he-” Sokka says, but Mai ignores him, talking to Ty Lee,

“Ty Lee, let’s go,” she says.

“What? Is everything alright?” Ty Lee asks, grasping Mai’s hand, which Mai lets her do. “What about Zuko? Is _he_ alright?”

Sokka turns his head to look at Zuko. Zuko has turned his back to them and appears to be looking at his phone.

“He’s fine,” Mai says quietly, “But we’re both being terrible with each other. Ty Lee, I don’t know your intentions with this guy you brought and if you want to continue this night with him, but I just…” Mai sighs, deeply, closing her eyes for a short moment. “Can we just go?” she asks, so quietly Sokka barely hears her.

“Right. Of course,” Ty Lee says, still holding Mai’s hand. She looks at Sokka pleadingly.

“Go,” Sokka says to her, “I don’t mind, Ty Lee. You know that.”

“Thank you,” Ty Lee mumbles, staggering to Sokka to give him a hug. When she squeezes him, she whispers to Sokka, “Check upon Zuko before you go, okay?” After Sokka nods against her shoulder, Ty Lee lets go. She smiles at Sokka, gratitude shining from her eyes, before pulling Mai to her side.

Sokka watches them walk away, glued to each other. It feels like just the way this night was supposed and at the same time, not. It’s too good to be true, for Ty Lee.

But Sokka night isn’t over, yet.

Remembering Zuko, Sokka snaps out of his thoughts. He turns around, relieved to see Zuko standing down the street. Sokka wastes no time striding forward to talk to him. Zuko’s eyes widen as he notices Sokka is making a beeline for him.

“Uh. Hi,” Sokka says.

“Hi,” Zuko quietly replies. An awkward silence persists, until Zuko speaks again, “They decided to leave?”

“Uh, yeah. We have been ditched,” Sokka says, laughing awkwardly.

“Okay,” Zuko mouths. He’s shivering now, too, and Sokka continues to feel bad for him. “Well.”

“Are you hungry?” Sokka suddenly asks. He’s pretty sure he can hear Zuko’s teeth clattering. “I’m kind of starving.”

“I-“ Zuko splutters, staring at Sokka. It has begun to drizzle and Zuko’s black hair damp and shiny. The tiny ice-cold droplets of water feel like needles on Sokka’s skin and he wants to get inside as soon as possible.

“I’m going to grab a bite somewhere. Would you like to join me?” Sokka asks, certain that Zuko will refuse.

_Come on._

Zuko stares at Sokka, like he’s realizing something. It feels intense, being the subject of his direct attention and for the first time during the evening, Sokka’s stomach is doing somersaults and he’s pretty sure it’s not because he’s hungry.

“I totally get it if you want to be alone,” Sokka says, just to make some noise. He suddenly feels nervous. “I know a fight with your girlfriend can really kill your mood.”

“No,” Zuko says, “I- Sure, why not. I’ll come with you.”

Sokka can’t help but grin. “Excellent choice.”

“I’m sorry, you said your name was _what?”_

“Wang Fire,” Sokka grins, “I told them my name was Wang Fire.”

Zuko almost spits out the milkshake he’s drinking. “ _Wang Fire?”_ he repeats, “What kind of name is that?”

“I couldn’t tell them my real name,” Sokka laughs, “So I just kind of said the first thing that came to my head. They bought it, though. I can’t believe they bought it.”

Zuko grins, leaning his face against his palm so his huge smile is obscured by his long fingers. It still manages to take Sokka’s breath away. He can’t help but stare. He can’t get _enough,_ feverishly thinking about the next anecdote to make Zuko smile like that.

“What?” Zuko says suddenly, looking abashed.

“What?” Sokka echoes back to him.

“You’re looking at me funny.”

“I- Uh.” Sokka clears his throat. “So, how long have you and Mai been together?” he asks, although he already kind of knows the answer. He has to remind himself: even though they had a fight, this man is taken. _You can’t shoot your shot, Sokka._

“Right,” Zuko says, looking down. He stays quiet for a while. There has been a lot of silent moments between them.

“Sorry. I get it if you don’t want to talk about her,” Sokka says.

“No,” Zuko assures, “Actually – I do. Can I tell you something about me and her?”

“Sure,” Sokka replies. There’s a weird spark in Zuko’s eyes, like he’s trying to defy something.

“Okay, so,” Zuko sighs, twitching his fingers nervously. “By the way we’ve behaved this evening, you’d assume a breakup between us is long overdue.”

“Uh.”

“No, don’t lie to yourself. We’ve been terrible. Mai agrees. That’s way we cut our date short. But the truth is-“

Sokka leans forward. His foot nudges against Zuko’s underneath a table. Sokka jerks it quickly back.

“-we’ve already broken up.”

“ _Oh,”_ Sokka says, “Okay. O _kay._ Wait – when?”

”Almost a week ago?” Zuko says, visibly trying to calculate the days in his head. “Six days ago? But Mai had already told Ty Lee about tonight. It wouldn’t have been a problem but…”

“Ty Lee wanted a double date,” Sokka says with grimace.

“Mai can’t say no to Ty Lee,” Zuko explains, “And Ty Lee doesn’t usually _date_ people, so Mai wanted to give her this. She begged me to pretend that we’re still together, just for a couple of days. We were going to ‘break up for real’ tomorrow, or on Sunday.”

“Was all that bickering an act, then?” Sokka has to ask because if that’s the case… they’re both damn good at acting.

“No,” Zuko admits, “We had a disagreement earlier today. I put Mai on edge and it just kept escalating. Sorry again you had to witness that.”

“All good,” Sokka assures. Zuko gives him a timid smile. Sokka wants to laugh at the situation. It’s so hilarious that _both_ of them had been faking it the whole evening, but he can’t out Ty Lee. He tries to keep a deadpan face. “If it makes it better, now that you and Mai have been fighting this whole, uh, _date,_ it makes sense for Ty Lee that you’re breaking up.”

“Yeah,” Zuko sighs, poking his remaining milkshake with the straw. “I guess it does.”

“Sorry,” Sokka apologizes again, “Was it a rough break up? Tonight must have been hard-“

“No, it was a long time coming,” Zuko interrupts, “I’m- _Fuck it._ We broke up because I’m gay.”

_Oh._ “Oh,” Sokka says. He had thought he was just starting to break the ice with Zuko, but apparently, they were _shattering_ the ice now. “I’m bisexual.”

“I know,” Zuko says.

“How? Oh.” For starters, there’s a bi pride flag on Sokka’s phone and a pin on his jacket and Yue had painted his fingernails with bi colors just yesterday.

Zuko stares at Sokka over the tall glass of milkshake, his fingers still playing with the straw. His eyes and very intense, hard to look away from and it looks like he’s about to say something when his phone starts to ring.

“Shit. I have to take this,” Zuko mutters, “It’s my sister. If I don’t answer, she’ll just keep calling.”

“Sure,” Sokka says, “Are you done with your fries?” Sokka asks, just to get himself something to do instead of thinking how pretty Zuko is and how nice he is once Sokka has gotten him to open up – just like Ty Lee had said – and how he feels like they should’ve known each other for years and how he wants to know Zuko for years, maybe as more than friends.

“Sure, go ahead,” Zuko says, then answers the phone, “Hi?” He watches as Sokka drags the plate over across the table. “Yeah, hold on.” Zuko stands up, walks away from the booth. He makes the mistake of staying in earshot and Sokka can’t really turn his hearing off.

“Yeah? No, I’m eating. No. With Ty Lee’s date. Not like that, Azula.” Zuko turns pink. Sokka looks away from him before he notices Sokka is paying attention. “We’re just hanging out. Yeah, what? Okay. What? Oh- Okay. No, I haven’t seen it coming. Yes, we broke up, like I already told you. She didn’t tell me. Azula- Okay? Why do I- No, don’t come here. I can tell him. If that’s okay with Ty Lee? Sure. Yeah. I don’t know. Okay, bye.”

_Well. That’s one bizarre phone call,_ Sokka thinks, shoving another fry into his mouth. Zuko returns, looking sheepish.

“So, um,” Zuko says.

“Yeah?”

“How- Um, how serious are you with Ty Lee?” Zuko asks, rubbing the back of his neck, refusing to meet Sokka’s eyes.

“I- Well, this was our first date,” Sokka says, thinking hard how to phrase things. “We’re casual. We’re not exclusive,” Sokka adds, hopefully. He wants to scream, _We’re fake, just like you and Mai! If you want me, you can have me!_

“Do you want to be more serious?” Zuko asks. Sokka can’t really comprehend _why_ Zuko’s suddenly asking about Ty Lee. Unless-

“Um. I don’t know,” he replies. “No?” he adds, very hesitantly, in case Zuko is being protective of Ty Lee.

“Because – I need to tell you something,” Zuko sighs.

_Sokka, I know we’ve already known each other for a couple of hours but I feel an incredible connection to you. I have been secretly regarding this as our first date, but I have to ask… Would you like to go out with me?”_

“Azula – my sister – lives with Ty Lee and she just got home and caught Ty Lee and Mai, uh, kissing in the living room.”

“Yes!” Sokka exclaims. A couple of other patrons turn their heads to look at him. Zuko stares at him with wide eyes. “Wait, what?” Sokka adds, catching up with what Zuko had said.

“Uh-“

“That’s so great!” Sokka continues, finally understanding what’s happened. “I was hoping it’d end just like this. Sorry – even when I still thought you and Mai were tight.”

“Wh- What are you talking about?” Zuko frowns.

Sokka throws his head back and laughs. “Oh my.” He thinks a couple of tears have escaped his eyes. “Ty Lee asked me out so she could tag along with your date. We’re not actually interested in each other. She’s in love with Mai. And I’m so happy Mai reciprocates her feelings.”

Zuko looks like someone has hit his head with a hammer. “Wait- So you?”

“Have you ever been on fake double date before?” Sokka laughs, “What are the odds?”

“Wait, really? You’re not interested in Ty Lee, at all?”

“No. She’s nice and all, but not really my type,” Sokka admits, still smiling.

“This explains why she’d said to Azula that I could tell you about her and Mai.”

“I’m really happy for her,” Sokka gushes.

“I didn’t even know Mai is a lesbian,” Zuko says quietly, “It explains a lot. Now, I really need to talk to her.”

“What are the odds,” Sokka mumbles again, shaking his head. He finishes eating the last fry on the plate. “What. An. Evening. Should we get the bill? I can drive you home.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Zuko protests, “I can take the bus.”

“No, I insist,” Sokka says, flashing Zuko a smile. Zuko smiles back with ease and Sokka nearly can’t take it.

“Here?” Sokka asks, parking in front of an ornate apartment building.

“Yes,” Zuko confirms.

“Looks nice,” Sokka hums, looking out of the window. _Looks expensive._

“Yeah, it is,” Zuko mumbles, unfastening his seatbelt. “I live with my uncle, it’s his place.”

“Oh, okay.”

Zuko stares at him, making no move to get out of the car. Sokka stares back, trying hard not to look at Zuko’s lips. Their breaths make the car windows foggy. Sokka tries very hard not to think about that one scene in _Titanic._

“Thanks,” Zuko says quietly, “For the ride. And the company.”

“You’re welcome,” Sokka says, leaning forward. It’s like his body is possessed. It’s like his body knows nothing, no one, but Zuko.

_Click._

Zuko opens the door, slipping out before Sokka can process what’s happening.

“Yeah. Bye,” says Zuko awkwardly, peering into the car from outside.

“Bye,” Sokka mumbles quietly, and Zuko closes the door.

Sokka stares at him walking away. He stares. And stares. And stares.

_Fuck it._

He doesn’t even consider stopping himself from fumbling the car door open. “Zuko, wait!” Sokka calls out, running towards him. It has ceased raining, but the ground is wet and full up puddles, soaking Sokka’s Chuck Taylors.

“Did I forget something?” Zuko asks, patting his pockets.

“No,” says Sokka, “I just- Can I please have your number?” he asks.

“Why?”

“Because I like you, idiot,” Sokka answers, cheeks heating up.

“Oh,” Zuko whispers, “Are you sure?” he asks meekly, biting his lip. It’s pretty dark, but Sokka is certain Zuko is blushing.

“That I like you? That I want your number? _Yes,”_ Sokka almost cries.

And then, Zuko is handing Sokka his phone. When their fingers brush, Sokka’s heartbeat accelerates. “Text me your number,” Zuko says, pressing his finger against the screen for identification, so that Sokka has access to the phone.

Halting, Sokka looks at the photo on the screen. It’s Zuko, flanked by two girls. One of the is a child, the other closer to Zuko’s age. They all smile at the camera.

“They’re my sisters,” Zuko says, “That’s Azula.” He points at the older one, then the younger. “And Kiyi, my half-sister.”

Sokka recognizes Azula, he’d seen her at Suki’s party two weeks ago with Ty Lee.

“I have a sister, too,” Sokka explains, quickly shooting himself a message on Zuko’s phone. His phone pings in his pocket. Sokka digs it out, opens the gallery and finds a picture of Katara. It’s a picture Sokka has taken of her where she’s looking up at the camera with an annoyed expression. “This is Katara.”

“She looks a lot like you,” Zuko points out, leaning closer to look at the picture. Sokka can feel the warmth radiating from him and wants to wrap him up in an embrace.

“Yeah, we get that a lot,” Sokka tells Zuko.

“Is she younger or older than you?”

“Younger,” Sokka says, “Wait – you met her boyfriend today.”

Zuko thinks for a moment. “Aang?”

“Bingo,” Sokka says and starts swiping photos on his phone, showing them to Zuko.

“That’s Aang when he was bald. Aang and Katara being disgusting. That’s Appa, Aang’s dog. More Appa. And more. Oh, that’s me and Momo, Aang’s cat. That’s my dad. That’s Gran Gran yelling at Pakku. That’s Suki, I used to date her. Toph. Toph. Toph and Suki. And again. _Again._ How many selfies did they take on my phone? That’s Yue, I used to date her, too. That’s me and Aang being silly. Appa, again. These are stupid selfies I took at Suki’s party. Look, it’s your sister in the background!”

“She looks so bad in that picture,” Zuko laughs, “She never looks bad in pictures, so I never have blackmail material.”

“I can send you this. Just promise to crop me out, I look so stupid.”

“No, you look cute,” Zuko says. Then, he realizes what he has just said, and blushes.

“Not as cute as you right now,” Sokka says, sending the picture to Zuko. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” Zuko replies quietly. He looks at Sokka, eyes soft. “Um. I really did have a great time with you.”

Sokka can’t help but let another smile bloom on his face. “Likewise.”

“I- Uh-“ Zuko lifts his arm, taking a hesitant step towards Sokka. Sokka gets the hint, and pulls Zuko flush against him, squeezing him into an embrace.

They hug for an embarrassingly long time, until Sokka starts to sway them back and forth, finally spinning them around. Zuko giggles against Sokka’s neck. Sokka doesn’t know how to feel about it, so he just squeezes closer.

“Okay, let go,” Zuko gasps, “I can barely breathe.”

“Aw,” Sokka pretends to complain, “But I like having you in my arms.” He leans forward, pressing an experimental kiss against Zuko’s cheek.

When he pulls back, Zuko looks bashful. His eyes keep drifting towards Sokka’s lips and getting the hint, Sokka kisses him on the mouth this time.

It’s chaste kiss, but Sokka still feels it all the way in his toes. It’s like he’s floating, returning to ground when he detaches his lips from Zuko’s.

Sokka is contemplating on giving Zuko another kiss, when they’re interrupted by a door clicking above them. Zuko starts, stepping away from Sokka. The tension in his shoulders eases as he spots the person who had opened the door. “Uncle,” Zuko breathes.

“Evening, Zuko. I thought you were going out with Mai,” says the elderly man standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at Sokka and Zuko with a glint in his eyes.

“No, not Mai,” Zuko says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Mai and I broke up. I just didn’t tell you yet.”

“I can see that,” Zuko’s uncle says, with a smile. “Well, would the young man want to come up for a cup of tea?“

The ball is in Sokka’s court, as Zuko turns to look at him.

Sokka grins, taking Zuko’s hand. “Sure, I would love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading xx  
> the horror movie they watch is not a real movie nor based on any real movie  
> [my tumblr](https://kenobei.tumblr.com)


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